Adjustable seat for toy horses



Sept; 9, 1958 H. SHEPPARD ADJUSTABLE SEAT FOR TOY HORSES Filed Jan. 30, 1957 INVENTOR I'll/901.0 SHEPP/lflfi United States Patent 2,851,275 ADJUSTABLE SEAT FOR TOY HORSES Harold Sheppard, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application January 30, 1957, Serial No. 637,240

1 Claim. (Cl. 280-1.188)

My invention relates to improvements in toy vehicles of the tricycle type and has for its general object to provide a childs wheeled vehicle adapted to be propelled by a pedal crank and embodying a figure of a horse or other animal mounted to rock by means of a traction drive and associated with a seat for a child which is relatively stationary.

A further object is to provide a childs toy of the kind referred to in which the stationary seat is carried by the frame independently of the horse, or the like and in which the seat is arranged over and above the rocker axis clear of the animal so that it will not hamper the rocking action. A still further object is to provide a toy structure of this kind in which the forward portion of the animal, preferably including the head and forelegs, is pivoted to the remainder of the body and associated with the steering Wheel mechanism so as to turn therewith which makes the toy more attractive and amusing. Another feature is that the seat is supplied with an adjustable mounting by which the height may be varied as required by the rider.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts described in the ensuing specification and shown in the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof. In the drawing Figure 1 is a side view in which the animal is a horse;

Figure 2 is a plan View thereof;

Figure 3 is a vertical elevation taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing an adjustable seat support;

Figure 6 is a cross section of Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a yoke forming part of the adjustable seat structure.

The preferred form of the invention depicted in the drawing comprises a frame of a more or less conventional type embodying the forwardly converging members 8, 8, which are united at their frontal ends 9, and provide thereat a bearing for a steering fork 10, in which is journalled a front wheel 11, provided with a pedal crank device 12, which is well known in the art.

The rear ends of the frame bars 8 are mounted on a live axle 13 having a crank 14 arranged intermediate of its length. Shaft 13 is transversely arranged and is supported on rear wheels 15 one of which at least is fixed to the shaft so that as the wheel travels it will rotate the shaft 13.

The frame carried a fiat sided figure body generally denoted at 16 which is desirably a rocking horse longitudinally disposed above the frame members 8, 8, and pivoted at 17 intermediate of its length and at a point in close proximity to its back. The horse is free torock about the pivotal axis 17 and it will be manifest that the animal could be other than the figure of a horse if so desired.

The rocking action is motivated by a pitman 18 forming a connection between the crank 14 and the leg portion of the animal indicated at 19.

The animal is supported on the frame by means of the standards 20, one of which is located on each side thereof. The standards extend upwardly from the frame members 8, 8, and are rigidly secured thereto at their lower ends as by suitable fastening means such as rivets for example. The upper. ends of the standards carry a pin or the like which forms the pivot 17 about which the figure body rocks. The standards are shown as jointed together at their upper ends and forwardly extended as at 21 to support the seat 22 which is suitably attached thereto as by means of fastening elements 23, Figure 4. The seat is disposed over and above the back of the animal with sufiicient clearance to provide for unhampered rocking action of the animal. It will be understood that the seat is stationary relative to the animal, and therefore the child riding the vehicle is not rocked with the rocking motion, but is seated securely and therefore has better control of the vehicle in motion.

The fore part of the animal including the head 24 and the forelegs 25 is hinged on a vertical axis indicated at 26 to swing from side to side independently of the remaining body portion. The vehicle is steered by means of the fork 1t) and steering post members 27 associated with a handle bar 28. The steering post members 27, two in number, straddle the body of the horse and are attached rigidly at their lower ends to the fork 10 so as to turn as a unit therewith. The handle bar 28 is rigid with the steering post members 27, the latter members being somewhat spaced from the body 16 of the animal to provide clearance for the necessary turning action in steering the vehicle by movement of the wheel 11 about the vertical axis of the fork. The swingable forepart of the animal is provided with reins 29 or other flexible connecting means extending to the handle bar so that the head section of the animal will turn with the steering apparatus.

Now adverting to Figures 5, 6 and 7 there is illustrated a modification in which the seat is supported to be adjusted as to height. In this arrangement the standards 20 rigidly rise from the frame members 8 as previously described and at their upper ends the pivot pin 30 which swivelly mounts the figure body 16 is of sufficient length to project outwardly at both ends from the outer faces of the standards. The seat 22 has rigidly applied to its under side a yoke generally indicated at 31 which yoke provides spaced arms 32 which depend from the bight element 33 that is secured to the seat. The arms 32 straddle the standards 20 in longitudinal alignment therewith and have at their proximal ends slots 34 which receive the projecting ends of the pin 30. In this arrangement the yoke can be raised and lowered through the length of the slots, which slots serve as a guide means. At the lower ends of the arms 32 there is provided two or more pear-shaped slots indicated at 35 and these slots are receptive to headed pins 36 rigid with the respective standards 20. There is a headed pin on each standard and the head thereof is of a diameter to freely pass through thte large end of the pear-shaped slots, and the shank is of a diameter to fit freely within the narrow portion of the pear-shaped slots. According to this arrangement corresponding slots 35 can be engaged with the pins 36 by springing the arms of the yoke outwardly to pass over the head of the pins to bring the large end of the slots 36 into register with the pin head, whereupon the arms can be released so that they may move inwardly and thus pass over the heads of the pins 36 to allow the pin heads to pass through the slots so that the shanks may enter the narrow portion of the slots by a slight downward movement of the yoke. By selecting the correspondingslots '36 that givethe required adjustment the seat can be positioned at an elevation to suit the rider.

The invention provides a highly practical and serviceable toy vehicle for a child and it will be understood that such changes and variations rnay be resorted to as'gfairly come Within the scope'of theappended claim.

What I claim is:

In a toy vehicle comprising a wheeled 'framejfor travelling on a supporting surface, aflat'- sided figure body pivotally mounted intermediateof itsjlength on said frame for a rocking action, and a sep ara te and distinct seatsituated over and,above;saidjfigurerbQ y randfixedly supported to remain stationary relative tolsaidfigure body without hamperingrockingrmotion of ,said figure body; the .improvement includingnieans supporting said seat and permitting adjustment thereof,v,said means including a pair of spaced.standards,,straddling said figure body and rigidly secured to said frame-at theirvlowerw ends, an inverted 4 yoke secured to the underside of said seat and providing spaced arms of thin fiat material extending downward of said standards respectively, said arms having the quality of springiness whereby they may be sprung outwardly of the standards respectively, pin and slot connections between said standards and the corresponding yoke-arms for enabling the yoke to move longitudinally in guided relation with the standards, .and a headed pin on each standard and engaged in one of a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes provided in the respective yoke-arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,493,895 Reed May 13, 1924 2,518,899 Kelleher Aug. 15, 1950 2,646,990 Fowler July 28, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 137,891 Great Britain Ian. 29, 1920 

